Murder conviction for man in deadly 2008 D.C. killing

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Attorney’s office says a 30-year-old D.C. man has been convicted of first-degree murder and other charges in a 2008 shooting that killed a woman and wounded two of her nieces at a Southeast Washington apartment complex.

A news release says Kerstan Leonard will be sentenced on Sept. 9. A jury also found him guilty of two counts of assault with attempt to kill while armed and firearms offenses.

Prosecutors say in December 2008, the drug dealer fired into an apartment building occupied by his rivals in the 3000 block of Stanton Road SE.

Authorities said 41-year-old Melody Williams of D.C. was killed as she was trying to escape the gunfire. The night-shift nursing assistant was waiting for a ride to work when she was slain.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.